Hitomi and Van-Fateful Destiny
by Feathers of the wind
Summary: **Complete story is up!** Ack... I hate writing summaries..This story takes place about 3 months after the original ending of Escaflowne. Van and Hitomi miss each other so much, it's making them miserable. They find out it's better to live your hopes, not
1. I miss you

Van and Hitomi

~*A/N: Konnichiwa Minna-san!! Ok, this story takes place a few months after Hitomi goes back to the Mystic Moon. This story may start off slow, but if you keep reading, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Please r&r!!!! Thanks! 

BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could... ~Feathers of the Wind*~

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny 

Hitomi was sitting at home, doing some homework. Becoming re-adjusted to normal life had been tricky, as she didn't need to worry about Zaibach, or whether Dilandau would try to kill her one day. But the hardest thing to adjust to was not seeing Van everyday. She had taken his love for granted while she was with him, and hadn't seen the pangs of jealousy in Van's eyes while she tried to get a certain knight of caeli's attention. She only realized she loved him when it was time for her to leave. "I'm so stupid…I could have stayed with him, I could've been happy. But no…I had to be a dumbass and come back here." Hitomi yelled at herself. In her mind she saw Van's smiling face every now an then, but it wasn't the same. 

Sighing, and stopping the essay she was working on, Hitomi walked over to her dresser and pulled out a rolled up cloth. Sitting on her bed, she unrolled it, to reveal a large, pure while silky feather. She gently picked it up and cradled it against her cheek, remembering all the good times she had with Van. Remembering when they had first met, when he showed her his wings…and when they had departed. This feather had been from one of Van's angelic draconian wings. Letting her tears fall from her eyes she wept silently. "Oh Van…"She whispered. She thought coming back here was the right thing to do, although her heart told her otherwise. She found Earth much less exciting compared to Gaea, and seemed strange and unfamiliar, like she didn't belong on Earth anymore. Wherever Van was, that would be where she belonged.

Van was outside, leaning against a tree beside a lake. He picked up a small stone, and lazily tossed it into the calm, mirrored watery depths. Heaving a heavy sigh, he glanced up at the Mystic Moon, the place Hitomi called "Earth". The place where Hitomi lived. Van found himself staring at it for over an hour. "Who am I kidding? Hitomi's back where she belongs…she's happy. That's all that matters to me…isn't it?" Van knew he was torturing himself. He knew that Hitomi should be with him, in Gaea. "Hitomi, I though I meant something to you." Van whispered to the air with hurt in his voice. Van had her pendant around his neck, with his fingers clasped tightly around it. Not realizing what he was saying, he murmured, "I wish you were here Hitomi…if you hadn't left, I would have told you I love you." Van sighed lying on the grass, not noticing the blue column of light beginning to form.

AAAH!!! Sorry for such a short chapter.... I promise I'll add to it if I get some good reviews on it so far...

~Feathers of the Wind 


	2. A happy return

New Page 1

**~* A/N **Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Ya, ok this chapter may get mushy! (No, no lemony stuff) Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could... 

~Feathers of the Wind***~**

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny

**Chapter 2: A happy return**

In her sleep, Hitomi dreamt that she came back to Gaea. Suddenly, her eyes popped open, and immediately came to rest on the two orbs in the sky. 

"Oh my god... two circles in the sky.... that means one thing..." Hitomi mumbled to herself. She jumped up and shouted: "I'm really back on Gaea!" Hitomi began to jump around, but then realized an important matter. Just where exactly was she? Sure, she's on Gaea, but which country?? As she scrutinized the area, looking for a familiar landmark, she heard horse hooves. She crouched down in the long grass, hoping not to be seen by a stranger. 

"Who goes there?" Said a male voice full of authority. "It's Van!" Hitomi thought happily. Hitomi peeked out from behind the long grass to see a familiar king in a red shirt and tan pants. "Van..." Hitomi whispered still lost in her reverie. 

"Who's there? I am the King of Fanelia, speak up!" 

Hitomi stood up, and asked shyly, "Am I welcome here?" 

Van did a double take. 

"H-Hitomi!!! You're here!" He jumped off his horse, and ran to her. They embraced for a moment, then let go, as Van helped her onto his horse. "Hitomi! I'm so glad you're here! Come to Fanelia, everyone's going to so happy to see you, even Merle!" Van stated. 

"How about you?" Hitomi smiled. 

"E-even me?! OF COURSE! You know... of course I missed you..." Van said to her. " How could I not?" Van added in his head. 

"Did you miss us?" Van asked, hoping to get the answer he'd been longing for. 

"Yes, I did miss everyone....but especially... you." She whispered, turning her head away, blushing like mad. That was about as far as their conversation went, for Hitomi fell asleep on the way to the new re-built Fanelia. 

As they neared the castle, Van debated whether or not he should wake her up. "No... I should let her sleep." Van thought to himself, as he entered the stables, as gently as he could dismounted the horse, carrying Hitomi to his room. No one saw him, as it was pretty late at night, and Merle was probably sleeping. Allen was visiting in Freid right now anyway. He gently set Hitomi down, then sighed happily, still not believing she was actually here. Van just silently watched her sleep... it was so calming just listening to the even breathing. The more Van watched her, the more he wanted to hold her in his arms forever, never letting go. Van finally let himself on his bed, and fell asleep holding Hitomi in his arms. (A/N: Awwww! Isn't that just sweet?)

When Hitomi awoke at dawn, she felt two strong arms around her. Turning her head, she saw Van's face, sleeping like a baby.

"So it wasn't a dream! Thank god... I would've died had it not been real!" Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief. As Hitomi watched him, she was resisting the urge to kiss him. Instead, she just lay there, enjoying the peace and quiet, and of course, Van's embrace. She almost forgot about where she was, waking up to such different surroundings than before. Then of course, once she saw Van's face, she knew where she was, and more than ever wanted to stay.

Finally, she just couldn't hold back any more. She tentatively leaned forwards, and pecked a quick kiss on Van's lips. Van's eyes opened in an instant, and saw Hitomi's blushing, smiling face. 

" Huh? Wha... HITOMI!" Van hastily tried to remove his arms around her, but Hitomi stopped him, putting her hand on his arm.

"I - I like it his way." She whispered. Van blushed, and smiled a little as he tightened his arms around her slim waist. Turning around a bit, Hitomi wrapped her arms around Van's neck, and rested her head on Van's chest. Beneath her, she could hear his heart beating, her heart beating the same rhythm that saved her only a few months ago. They both slept in their tight embrace until one of the Royal guards knocked on the King's bedroom door. 

"Your highness? Are you awake yet?" A loud voice boomed. This slowly drew Hitomi and Van from their peaceful slumber, and Van reluctantly let go of Hitomi to answer the door. 

"Yes, I'm awake." Van mumbled. "Good. Breakfast shall commence in half an hour." With that, the guard left. 

Hitomi was now sitting up on the edge of the bed, stretching and yawning. Van knew he had to ask her.... or at least tell her the very question that he'd been wanting to tell her since he saw her again. Van went to his dresser first and retrieved a small box, then kneeled before her. This totally surprised Hitomi. 

"V-Van... what are you doing?" Hitomi kind of knew what was going to happen but waited for him to continue anyway.

Lifting his head from staring at the ground, his eyes shone with hope, love and even a little bit of fear. Holding her hands in his, Van asked: 

"Hitomi, I - I love you. I've loved you since the moment I first saw you. Will you... marry me? Will you marry me, and become the Queen of Fanelia, my wife?" Hitomi had waited so long to hear those words. 

"Yes Van! I will!" She pulled her hands loose from Van's grasp, and wrapped them around van's neck with such momentum they fell over. "I thought you'd never ask." Hitomi whispered. Van then opened the small box he had earlier, and slipped a ring on Hitomi's finger. They lay on the floor for a few minutes, until Van mentioned something.

" You know, as much as I'd love to stay this way, we do have to attend breakfast. We could also tell the council I've chosen a bride" Damn food needs... Van thought. "And besides that, look at us!" Van laughed as he pointed at their clothing, which was wrinkled. Hitomi giggled in agreement, so Van had a maid fetch some clean clothes for the both of them. They both washed their faces as they waited for the clean garments to arrive, and Van just couldn't keep his eyes off of Hitomi. Van walked over to her, and she turned around to face him, smiling innocently. 

"Hitomi, you're so beautiful." Van breathed, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ears. Hitomi's hair had grown out a little, now reaching her shoulders, she grew a bit taller, and had more curves. In Van's eyes, she was a goddess. 

"Oh Van, you look even more handsome than I remember." Hitomi smiled, staring at Van's eyes. Indeed, Van had changed... a little. He was taller than before, and he had more of a build, more muscle. Van's face had kept the same, but his hair became more unruly to make up for it. One thing Hitomi definitely noticed was that his voice had gone a bit deeper. Almost shyly, they both leaned forwards to share a loving, almost timid kiss. However, their dream come true was interrupted by a knock the door, Van groaned, quickly going to see who it was who messed up their "perfect" moment. Returning shortly, he had their clothes. 

A/N: Sorry about this chapter.... it was a bit on the mushy side, wasn't it?? Don't worry, action and evil is on it's way! * heehee* ok. Note to self, no more homemade lemonade!( Lemon juice, water.... 10 tablespoons of sugar!) I've added this chapter thanx to the wonderful response I got from reviewers! :) yay! I'm probably gonna add another chapter l8ter on tonight. Happy reading! 


	3. A New Queen

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny 

**Chapter 3: The New Queen**

Hitomi and Van entered the dining room as everyone started to eat breakfast. Usually, when the King did not show up on time, the council assumed it was because he was busy, so they ate without his presence. However, when they looked up, they saw a beautiful woman with him! This greatly surprised everyone, since their King had rejected each princess sent for him as a candidate on Gaea. 

"Ahem... King Van! Good morning! And who is this lovely lady, may I ask?" An advisor asked.

"This is the future Queen of Fanelia." Van answered, seating Hitomi, then himself. 

A few people in the room nearly choked, and the same advisor asked, "I see.... and she is..?" The advisor had never seen her before. 

"You've heard of Hitomi, the girl of the Mystic Moon? This is her: Hitomi Fanel." Van said proudly, and Hitomi smiled gently at everyone in the room. A few gasps could easily be heard as a murmur ran through the crowd. 

"THE Hitomi?? I remember, the one who helped save Gaea!" Just then, another advisor quickly, and hastily asked, "Wait... did you just add 'Fanel' to the end of her name?" The advisor looked very....unsettled about something.

"Umm... yes. I just told you, I asked Hitomi to marry me, she said yes. So naturally...." Van answered smiling in Hitomi's direction. 

"Oh... I see... how very.... umm... unfortunate?" The advisor mumbled. 

"Unfortunate....how?" Van's smile faded, and was changed to a look of suspicion. 

"Well...you see... since you wouldn't choose a bride before this....we chose a bride for you?" an advisor squeaked. 

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Van yelled, sanding up abruptly. "WHAT ON GAEA POSSESSED YOU TO DO SUCH A THING?!" Van was very, very....upset. 

"Well.... we, a , could, umm.... always cancel?" another whispered. 

"You better....I can't believe that you would do that! You will write to that Kingdom, apologizing for your incompetence, clearly stating that it was ALL your fault, for this mix-up!" Van ordered. "Yes your highness." Came the meek reply. "Hitomi, come on, let's go outside.... I need to get some fresh air." Van took Hitomi's hand, and led her outside. They walked into the forest in silence, until finally they stopped and sat down under a tree's shade near a stream. As Hitomi lay her head on Van's shoulder, sighing, Van asked her, "You're not mad at me, are you?" 

"No, why would I be mad at you?" Hitomi looked at Van in the eye, frowning slightly. 

"I thought that maybe you'd be upset or something for me having a 'pre-chosen' wife or something...that maybe you thought I knew about this or something." Van was surprised that Hitomi hadn't killed him.

"No... I have faith in you Van. I know that you would've told me, had you known. but Van... why would they choose someone for you to marry... if you don't love her. Just out of curiosity." Hitomi asked.

"I don't know... I've rejected every princess on Gaea, waiting for you to return to me. They want an heir, should *something* happen to me. But... I don't really know if we're reading for that type of thing yet... we're only 15/16 years old." Van explained.

"I understand, in fact I agree with you. I don't think I could be a very good mother right now at this age, considering that we're basically kids ourselves." Hitomi replied, relieved. Van smiled at her answer, and wrapped his arms around her, knowing he made the right choice for a bride. That was the thing about Hitomi. She won't do anything she's not ready for, just like Van. 

"Um.. Van? Just when should the wedding be?" The thought hadn't occurred to Hitomi until just now. "hmm... how about in a month? I want to get everything ready, so it will be perfect." Van decided. 

"Anything you think is fine with me." Hitomi smiled, and kissed Van passionately. 

A/N: Phew! Another chapter... what did you people think? Like I said...evil and badies are on their way... just let me build up on it. please review! Thanks!!


	4. Wedding Preparations

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~ 

Note: This chapter may be short....

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny 

Chapter 4: Wedding Preparations

The next day, Allen returned from Freid to Fanelia, and wished to speak with Van. Since Allen was a Heavenly Knight of Austuria, the guards allowed him to go straight into the King's chambers. One thing they had not known, was that Hitomi now slept there as well. (No you hentai freaks out there, they're not DOING anything!) When Allen stepped in, he almost fainted. Hitomi was in the room...sleeping...with Van. 

"Perhaps I should come back later..." Allen thought to himself quickly blushing a light shade of red, softly closing the door as he left. 

When the King and almost-queen walked into the breakfast hall, they were happily surprised to see Allen. 

"Allen! What a surprise!" Hitomi greeted him cheerfully. Allen smiled, then bowed before her. "A-Allen... what are you...?" Hitomi was afraid that Allen was going to propose to her again.

Allen got up and said," I'm supposed to bow before a Queen." smiling slightly, he loved to see the looks of surprise upon Van and Hitomi's faces.

"Allen... how did you know?" Van asked, wondering if maybe the council had told Allen, though he really wanted to tell Allen himself.

"Besides the fact that she's wearing a ring, AND both of you HAPPENED to come down late at the same time, I... well to be honest, I was going to speak to you earlier this morning, but since I saw you two sleeping, I decided to talk with you later." Allen sheepishly answered. 

Both Hitomi and Van were blushing, trying best to avoid the evil stares they were getting from the council. Hitomi slept in Van's room, much to their objections, but van assured them they wouldn't DO anything. Although Allen was a close friend, some things are just meant to be left private. However, Allen just wasn't done babbling yet.

"And I figured, 'Van wouldn't sleep with anyone but Hitomi... and there she is.' It just made sense, did it not?" Allen asked smiling.

Van and Hitomi just nodded, as they once again were getting the 'look' from the council. Hitomi and Van just gave Allen a look that said "Shut up!" Thankfully, Allen understood, and said no more.

"Allen, you came back to Fanelia at just the right time. Hitomi and I are getting married in a month's time, and I'd like you to be my Best Man." Van half ordered, half asked.

Allen was happy to be part of such a joyous occasion of his friend, so he accepted. Just then, Hitomi remembered Merle. 

"Allen... did you happen to see Merle anywhere today? I need to ask her something." Allen thought for a few moments, then told Hitomi he'd seen Merle in the gardens. Hitomi excused herself, then ran outside, and sure enough found Merle admiring the roses. 

"Merle?" Hitomi asked.

"Hitomi! When's the wedding?" Merle asked happily. She of course was a little sad that Van did feel that way about her, but if anyone was going to get married to Lord Van, she was glad it was Hitomi. 

"It's in about a month...could I ask a really big favor of you? Will you be my bridesmaid? For the wedding?" Hitomi hoped that Merle would say yes. 

"OF COURSE! I'd be glad to! I'm so glad that you and Lord Van are getting married. If you ask me, I say you two should have gotten married L-O-N-G time ago!" Merle laughed.

"Y-you do?" Hitomi was really curious if she had made the right choice of going back to earth. 'Never mind that now... you're here. Van loves you and you love him.' Hitomi's subconscious scolded her.

"Yes. And it's a good thing Lord Van rejected those other princesses the second he saw them! He was pestered by his advisors, but he always said: 'I know she will come back to me... someday.' By the way, the 'she' is you!" Merle added. Hitomi laughed lightly, just loving Merle's sense of humor. She knew that Van and Merle would never betray or abandon her, as she would never them. She felt so lucky to have faithful friends in her life. 

"And besides...there's no I'd even let anyone else marry Lord Van." Merle continued.

"Why's that, Merle?" Hitomi slyly asked.

"A few weeks after you'd left, all these dumb phony princesses tried to act just like you! You know, fainting a lot...having 'visions'. Luckily, Van saw right through these stupid girls, and just let them faint to the floor instead of catching them, like he did for you. Hee hee... You know. They were trying to get close to him, but I scared them away for you! Van once asked me why I threatened to rip a girls eyes out, but I said:' You're already taken Lord Van! Hitomi, remember?!'" Hitomi laughed and gave Merle a hug. "come on, Merle! Let's go in." She said, leading Merle inside to where Van and Allen were discussing wedding preparations. 

~*A/N: Okee.... another rather short chapter... Please don't hate/kill me! I had to cut there, otherwise I'd be interfering with the upcoming plot of the next chapter. Until I get to write that chapter out, I hope you like the story so far!

  



	5. Return of the Visions

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Note: Alright, introducing the new badies! Ooh... a little bad language in this chapter.. not much.

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny 

Chapter 5: Return of the Visions

Somewhere in a evil place in Gaea....

Zaibach may be gone, but there were still others interested in the legendary Escaflowne. 

"Kalade, what's the news?" The new leader in evil, Takita asked.

"We have bad news... it seems that the bitch from the Mystic Moon is back." Kalade answered.

"Shit, she's back? Damnit, when that little bastard was around with Van Fanel she was the downfall of Zaibach...we're going to have to eliminate her." Takita cursed.

"But master, why not just destroy the king of Fanelia, Van Fanel?" Kalade asked.

"Are you second guessing me?!" Takita had a nasty temper, and anyone who dared to oppose her judgment would be punished.

"N-no your evilness... just out of curiosity..." Kalade stuttered.

"Curiosity killed the cat! Anyway, for you question; why not kill Van Fanel? It's quite simple...BECAUSE HE HAS THE ESCAFLOWNE AND PLUS THE FACT HE'S PRACTICALLY INVINCIBLE!!!!" Takita roared at her incompetent servant. 'Dumbass,' she added quietly. Takita was using a machine similar to the fate alteration machine Dornkirk had used, to spy on the peaceful country of Fanelia, watching Van and Hitomi. 

"It would be foolish to try to attack Van... no one's been able to bring him down... wait! Oh gross! I did not need to see that!" Takita spat in disgust as she saw Hitomi and Van kissing. 

"That is just plain gross...hey. She looks rather important to the King... Perhaps I can use her to kill them both. Hold her hostage, ransoming Escaflowne for her safe return. He hands over Escaflowne, I kill them both anyway. I'm brilliant!" Takita evilly snickered.

~****~

In Fanelia...

"Oh Van, I love you so much. I don't know how I managed to survive three whole months without seeing you, or hearing your voice." Hitomi sighed. 

"I don't know how I survived without you for a day, my love." Van whispered.

"Mmm..." Hitomi mumbled into his shoulder. They were both sleeping... almost. They had been warned not to DO anything by the advisors, who just didn't seem to understand that they had morals. (Unlike a certain Knight of Caeli!) And again, against their wishes, Hitomi was sleeping in the King's bedchambers, but that couldn't stop them from holding each other in the night. 

Just then, Hitomi felt the familiar sensation, finding it hard to breathe, her vision going dark. _"No not now...not a vision!"_ Hitomi desperately thought. The images in the vision were all fuzzy, so she couldn't exactly see everything clearly. She saw... Dilandau?! No no... that's not Dilandau... that's just some crazy, psycho girl _like _Dilandau. And could it be... TWO Escaflowne's? That can't be right... the Ispano's only make one of everything...but before Hitomi could closely look at the giant Machine suits, she was brought back to reality, gasping for breath.

"Hitomi, what's wrong?" Van sat up, holding a shaking Hitomi in his arms. 

"I just had another vision..." Hitomi whispered. Van was shocked to hear this, usually when she got Visions, they were for bad reasons...

"A vision? But why now? Van was bewildered. "What did you see?" He asked softly.

"I- I saw a girl... she's like Dilandau, and... two Escaflowne's. That's all I could see." Hitomi mumbled.

Van's mind froze when he heard Hitomi. Could he have heard wrong? "_Two Escaflowne's? That's impossible!"_ Van thought.

"Two Escaflowne's? Are you sure Hitomi?" Van asked her again, to make sure he hadn't heard the wrong thing. 

"I'm pretty sure there were two... oh Van. What's going to happen?" Hitomi was getting a little scared, for she knew for a fact that she only got visions when terrible things were about to happen. 

"Honestly Hitomi, I don't know. But whatever it is, we'll get through it together. We really should get some sleep, we have a busy month of planning ahead of us." Van whispered, kissing her cheek lightly, before falling asleep.

~*A/N: Okee.... that was Chapter 5! What did you people think? The new evil sounds really corny, huh? Don't worry it gets better. I think I'll write Chapter 6 now, since I have time.... well. I think that's about it!


	6. The interrupted dream come true (Hitomi ...

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Note: This chapter may be short....

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny 

Chapter 6: The interrupted dream come true( Hitomi and Van's Wedding!)  
__* One month later*

In Hitomi's room.... 

Hitomi was sitting in a guest room, her room until her and Van were officially married. Merle had bounced into their room early in the morning a few days ago, when her and Van weren't even awake yet, saying that for the next 2 days, Hitomi and Van weren't allowed to be sleeping in the same room. Now, it was her wedding day. She was up at the crack of dawn, just out on the guest room balcony watching the dark skies enjoying the fresh, cool air. Merle then bound into the room. 

"Hitomi! I can't believe it! Today is the day! I never thought I would see the day when Van would actually marry someone!" Merle laughed quietly. 

"Merle, I can hardly believe it myself... it seems like it was just yesterday I met him..." Hitomi went off into her own little world, remember that day when she was running on the track. A boy had appeared out of nowhere claiming a dragon was on it's way. Then, being whisked off into a world she never knew existed. Falling in love, now getting married. She come back to the real world when a very angry Merle was threatening to claw her face up.

"Come on Hitomi! We don't have all day to get you ready! Hurry up! Take a bath!" Merle ordered, pointing Hitomi over to a corner of the room that had been set up earlier, a large bath tub with a screen put in front. Hitomi chuckled slightly, then after shooing Merle out, she relaxed into the warm water, only to stiffen slightly at the sound of her bedroom door being opened.

"Here's your towels Hitomi." Merle said, leaving. Hitomi breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't Van. After feeling clean, she took the towels Merle had brought in, and dried herself, then wrapping a towel around herself she opened the door a crack to see Merle waiting outside the door.

"Are you done your bath?" Merle asked.

"Yes, could you help me with everything else?" Hitomi asked.

"Duh! Of course! Why else do you think I'd be waiting out here!" Merle agreed, walking back into Hitomi's room. 

A few hours later, Hitomi was dressed in her white wedding gown, looking every bit the Queen Van saw in her. Hitomi was so surprised that she barely recognized herself. She was wearing a pure white satin off-the-shoulder style wedding gown, the top part of it hugged her chest and torso tightly, then became poofy at the bottom. For her otherwise bare neck, she wore the pendant Van gave back to her, and with her light brown hair, Merle had put it up into an elegant bun, with a few curly tendrils of hair hanging down at the sides of her head, then to finish it off, she was holding a bouquet with deep red roses. She looked beautiful. However, Merle hadn't finished yet! Hitomi was trying to sit still as Merle was adding just a bit of makeup to give Hitomi a healthy glow. Finally glancing at the clock, Hitomi and Merle realized they had only an hour left. (The wedding was supposed to start at 11:00am, do the math... correct! It is now 10:00am!) 

"Oh Merle! Thanks for everything!" Hitomi almost started crying but Merle held up a hand.

"Hitomi, you can't go crying yet! Sure, the makeup is waterproof, but no one likes a bride with red eyes and nose! Besides, you're supposed to cry AFTER you actually get married." Merle smiled, trying to calm Hitomi down.

"Oh crap...I have to get ready!" Merle immediately ran to her room telling Hitomi to stay where she was, for if Van saw her, it was supposedly bad luck. 

Meanwhile... back in Van's room....

Van was getting dressed with the help of Allen and Dryden. Millerna would've helped Hitomi, but after she and Dryden got re-married, they had a baby, so Millerna had to look after that.

"Van, stop pacing around! Stand still! We have to fix your suit!" Allen was getting rather annoyed with Van, as he couldn't stay still for more than 2 seconds. 

" You expect me to be so calm at a time like this?! You must be kidding Allen!" Van looked at Allen as if he was a mad man, but finally went back to stand in front of the mirror, as Allen and Dryden continued to fiddle with his cape and suit. Van was thinking of how much he just wanted the ceremony to be over so he could hold Hitomi in his arms again, and be proud to call her Hitomi Fanel, or Queen Hitomi Fanel... Queen of Fanelia... endless titles flew in his mind then finally he realized that Allen and Dryden were telling him they were done. 

The last hour and the rest of ceremony was a blur to Hitomi and Van, as they suddenly found themselves about to say their vows to each other. 

"I Van Slanzar de Fanel King of Fanelia, take you Hitomi Kanzaki to be my wife, and Queen of Fanelia. Everything I have, my life, my love I give to you. In times of need, I will be there, in times of happiness I'll be there to share your joy. I will always be there for you forever." Van said his vow slipping the ring on Hitomi's finger, looking at her with love in his eyes, he totally forgot everyone else was there watching.

"I Hitomi Maaya Kanzaki Seer of the Mystic Moon, take you Van Fanel to be my husband. All I own, my life my love I give to you. In your times of sadness, I'll be there to comfort you, in your times of joy, I'll be there to share it with you. I will be with you forever." Hitomi said her vow, also slipping a ring onto Van's finger looking into Van's eyes with her own full of love, only for him. The priest said a few words after they had finished their vows. 

"And I now pronounce you King and Queen of Fanelia, husband and wife." The priest put Van's crown on his head, and Hitomi's crown on hers. Then, smiling at the two who were dying to her the last words, added: "You may now kiss the bride."

As Hitomi and Van kissed passionately in front of everyone, a deafening cheer erupted from the crowd in the chapel. They did it, Van and Hitomi had Finally gotten married. Van was now carrying Hitomi outside, while still kissing her. When they were out in the sunshine, they broke the kiss for air, laughing and smiling at each other, the cheers of everyone still going on, church bells ringing merrily. 

Just then, they noticed a large shadow over pass them, but it wasn't a cloud. It was a giant air ship! =( A girl came out of the ship with an army of soldiers, with such light blonde hair, it looked white. The girl had bright, blazing blue eyes, they could be mistaken for the blue methane in a flame. Hitomi immediately remembered her as the girl from her vision. 

"V-Van... she-she's..." Hitomi trembled whispering.

Putting Hitomi behind him placing himself between the rude girl and Hitomi, he quietly asked, "What? Who is she?" Van tried to keep Hitomi calm by using his gently, quiet voice.

Hitomi gulped. "She's....going to try to...kill us. She's after the two Escaflownes." Van's eyes widened. _Crap...Well. I'm getting to the bottom of this._

Speaking with total authority, (Or rather his arrogant voice! LOL) Van looked at dilandau girl and asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?" his eyes looking like a live fire.

The girl answered, "Hasn't your little queen told you yet? If not then I am Takita. I want the Escaflowne, so hand it over or say buh bye to Fanelia, it's people and it's queen!" Takita laughed crazily. Van growled and held his sword at his side. He knew he couldn't just rush into this, there was too much at risk. He needed to get to Escaflowne. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Allen, the _Crusade_ crew-members, and the castle samurai awaiting Van's signal to fight. 

"Now!" Van yelled, and ran with Hitomi to the hangar where Escaflowne sat regally. Takita tried to chase after them, but Allen stepped in the way.

"Going somewhere?" Allen asked in his chivalrous tone, striking her sword with his. Allen decided to take her, since he was one of the best swordsmen on Gaea, and would have a hard time trying to lose him. _Van, Hitomi....be careful._ He thought. 

~*A/N: Hey, whatdya peeps think of that?? Yes I know... I interfered with Hitomi and Van's wedding, but when else would I strike? The evils OBVIOUSLY aren't gonna wait till after the wedding to kill Van! heehee... ok. well. I got 2 chapters put up today...I'm so tired. If you'd like to e-mail me about this story, (Or even just to talk!) You can e-mail me at: [hitomi_kanzaki87@hotmail.com][1] Well, that's all 4 now! ~Feathers of the Wind

   [1]: mailto:hitomi_kanzaki87@hotmail.com



	7. Escalamis

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Note: Ok, you may think this chapter is a bit... uh crazy....

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny

Chapter 7: Escalamis 

_Chapter 6 recap: Hitomi and Van's wedding is crashed by a girl by the name of Takita. A fight has broken out, as Hitomi and Van rush to Escaflowne, Allen and the castle samurai were holding off Takita and her armies.  
_~~****~~

Running into the hangar deep inside the castle, Van stopped panting for breath. Hitomi was wishing the dress had been shorter so she could run faster, but other than a few gasps here and there, she was ok. 

"Van, what are we going to do?" Hitomi asked. Van stood up, and looked her straight in the eye, holding her shoulders he answered,

"I'm going to fight using Escaflowne." He just said, knowing what Hitomi would say.

" But Van! You can't! They'll destroy Fanelia! They'll destroy everything you've worked so hard on!" Hitomi was nearly crying. "Van I might lose you!" Hitomi flung her arms around Van, whose arms automatically went around her waist, as she began to gently cry into his chest. As her tears touched the pendant around her neck, it began to glow. 

" Huh? What's happening?" Hitomi asked, as the light became brighter, until it flashed so brilliantly Hitomi and Van had to shut their eyes. The bright light contained itself into a bright ball, and floated near Escaflowne. Another bright flash filled the room.

When the light dimmed away, Hitomi almost fainted. Van stood there with his eyes wide in shock. There standing next to the Escaflowne was the legendary Ispano guymeleph; Escalamis. Escalamis and Escaflowne looked almost exactly the same, except that the gem colors were reversed. (Escaflowne: Shoulder gems=green, energist crystal=pink; Escalamis: Shoulder gems=pink, energist crystal= green.) As Hitomi stepped forward, Escalamis' energist crystal glowed, and changed Hitomi's wedding gown into the kind of clothes Van wore before. She was now wearing tan pants, an emerald green backless halter top (You'll find out why, later), an emerald green peasant shirt over top, a sword and an energist. The sword, was much like Van's, except that hers was green and gold at the hilt (Van's is red and gold), was a bit lighter in weight too, but was just as deadly. Van ran up to her, and he changed from his royal garments into the clothes he normally loved to wear, the tan pants, and the red shirt.( Oh and the gloves... can't forget the gloves.)

"Hitomi... is this.. the second Escaflowne?" Van stared up at the giant look-a-like mecha, holding Hitomi's hand.

"Yes... but this one is called Escalamis. It- It wants me to pilot it." (AN, ok here's where you may be thinking; what the hell?! just keep reading.) Without hesitation, she took her sword with the crest of Fanelia on it, and made a little cut on her thumb. Wiping a little blood onto the energist she had, and stuck it through the green energist crystal. This shocked Van a little. 

"Hitomi... are you sure about this?" Looking at Van, Hitomi kissed him gently. 

"Yes Van, I'm sure. WE have to work together, Escalamis and Escaflowne to destroy Takita. She has an Ispano guymeleph too... Alkemis. " Hitomi sounded serious.

"Alright then, let's do this." Van walked over to Escaflowne, and opened the pilot seat chamber with a simple thought of his command, Hitomi followed suit. They both jumped into their pilot seats and soon the gentle humming of gears filled the room. 

"Hitomi... do you know how to pilot it?" Van feared for her safety.

"Strangely enough, yes I do. I feel as if I've always known how." To prove her point, she drew Escalamis' sword, and began sparring with the air. Van was amazed, she was almost as good as he was! 

"Hitomi, I want you to promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to lose you, I love you." Van said. Hitomi stopped her swordplay, and answered,

"I love you too Van. I don't want to lose you either, so you'd better come back in one piece!" She added with a smile. Van smiled too, then heard a voice in his head,

* Van?* It was Hitomi, communicating with her mind.

*Hitomi? What are you doing?* 

* I'm going to re-establish our mind link... we'll be able to communicate better this way. Just like how you can feel what Escaflowne feels, we can speak to one another just by thinking.* Just then, Hitomi had a terrible vision. Allen was in his guymeleph, while Takita was in hers. It seemed that Allen was winning in the fight against her, but she surprised him, and was about to cut him in half....

"Van! Allen's going to be in trouble!" Hitomi in Escalamis ran outside and arrived just in time to save Allen. Allen was fighting Takita and almost got killed. 

"Thanks Van." Allen panted, then realized that this guymeleph wasn't Escaflowne. It looked like it... but something was different about it. 

"Who is that?" Allen asked, then gasped as the visor of the mighty guymeleph opened to reveal..._Hitomi?_

~*A/N: hey hey! What did you think? Hmm... rather interesting, ne? Heehee.. ok. If you thought this chapter was weird, just wait till Chapter 8! oops.. I've said too much already. Ok, till next time! ~Feathers of the wind 


	8. Angel Wings

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Note: Okee.. I'm not very good at battle scenes, so just try to have a little imagination...

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny

Chapter 8: Angel Wings

_Chapter 7 recap: Hitomi seems to now have a legendary Ispano guymeleph... She saves Allen from death._

~~*****~~

Allen was so shocked to see Hitomi in a guymeleph that he just stood there staring at her. When Escaflowne showed up a few seconds later, Allen immediately rounded on him.

"Van! Did you know that Hitomi's in a guymeleph?! How the hell did she manage to do that?!" Allen was still a big believer that women shouldn't be allowed to help on the battle field.

"Yes, I did know. In fact, she's a very skilled swordsman... err swords_woman_." Van stated.

"Oh yeah? Since when?!" Allen sounded very irritated. It wasn't everyday that a woman saved him from a woman... and he wasn't going to let it become a habit. 

"Allen, what's your problem? Hitomi just saved your life!" Van was also getting irritated, but at Allen. I mean honestly, his sorry ass just got saved, shouldn't he be thankful?

"Besides, she's the only one who can pilot Escalamis." Van decided to add, knowing that once Allen knew the truth, he would hopefully shut up.

"E-Escalamis? An Ispano?" Allen felt that things were just getting weirder and weirder. First, a woman attacks, then he gets saved by one. Then a woman is a pilot of a guymeleph?!

"Yes." Van sighed. Just then, he heard the sound of metal crashing against metal, and turned around to see Escalamis (Hitomi) fighting with a soldier from Takita's military. Allen who was watching was surprised, Hitomi was really good. Hitomi easily disposed of the guymeleph.

*Hitomi, are you alright?* Van asked through his mind once he got beside her.

*Yes... I think so.* Even in her thoughts, Van could hear her gasping slightly. After that, there was no time to talk, except for shouting commands, as there were many of Takita's soldiers around them. However, Van always found a second or two to see if Hitomi was ok. Just as he was about to quickly destroy a guymeleph, a bright light drew his attention, and everyone else's on the battle field. The energist crystal on Escalamis was glowing intensely, Escaflowne following suit. Escaflowne and Escalamis then took control of Hitomi and Van, making them instant killing machines, showing no mercy for an enemy. ( A/N: Hint, try to envision the episode from Escaflowne when Van nearly gets killed in Escaflowne, and the Ispano come to repair it. Remember how he battles Dilandau? Try to imagine that going on here.) 

Takita knew that she would be a goner if she didn't leave, so she tried to escape, only to be faced with a very angry, and possessed Hitomi. 

Letting loose a battle cry, Hitomi charged with amazing strength.

"Die you evil bitch! You ruined my wedding, but I'm not going to let you destroy Fanelia, Van's worked too hard to have you just blow everything away!" With that said, she attacked with a vengeance. For the first time in her life, Takita was frightened. 

"Hitomi stop! You're going crazy!" Allen shouted, knowing that if he didn't do something, Hitomi would do something she would regret. Hitomi did not stop, but was knocked to the ground by Allen when she was about to kill Takita. Takita took this opportunity to make her run-away, so she retreated. A very angry Hitomi roared, then pushed Allen off her guymeleph rather violently, making Allen stumble. Escalamis was on her knees, about to stand, but suddenly fell.

Van who was through killing, as the enemy was retreating saw Hitomi fall and immediately rushed to her side. Jumping out of Escaflowne, he opened the hatch to Escalamis and gently pulled Hitomi out. 

"Hitomi, are you alright?" Van gently asked, fearing that she might be dead.

"I-I think so... I feel so tired...." Hitomi groaned.

" Dearest Hitomi, you did great. Fanelia is still standing you have no need to worry, you should rest. I'm very proud of you, and glad you're alright." Van said, then gently kissed the tired figure in his arms. Hitomi smiled wearily at him, then curled up asleep.

Just then, a burst of white light surprised Van. When Van opened his eyes, he nearly dropped Hitomi. Hitomi had..._WINGS!_ Hitomi's eyes were now open, wide with shock.

"V-Van! I-I have W-wings!" She managed to gasp out.

"But then... that means... you're a draconian!" Van couldn't help but smile. Now he was sure he knew why Hitomi and him were so alike. So, he wasn't the last draconian after all!

"I never knew... maybe my mother was a draconian... but why wouldn't she ever tell me?" Hitomi mumbled. Hitomi then had a vision of her mother, when she was younger, just about to get married. " I vow I will never tell my children they have wings. If I tell them... they might disappear to Gaea, and possible never return. I will keep this as a secret to myself." The vision ended.

"Even if she didn't tell me... why wouldn't they appear?" Hitomi asked herself as she remembered that time when she Van and Merle found an energist mine. The energists blew up, and made the ground split, making her fall into a deep chasm until Van rescued her.

"Hitomi, your wings won't appear until they are necessary to be known." Van told her. 

"Oh... " was the only reply Hitomi could think of. Suddenly Hitomi looked away, finding herself unable to look Van in the eye.

"Hitomi? What's wrong?" Van was slightly confused at her sudden behavior.

"You must hate me now." She softly answered.

"Why would I do that?" Van was now really confused.

"I'm a draconian! And I never told you! It's almost like I kept a secret from you about who I am!" Hitomi explained. 

"I don't have a problem with you being a draconian you know Hitomi... after all, I am one. Besides, you look better in the wings than I do. When you have them, they don't look like the curse I always thought them to be... You look like an angel. But it's not like you could help it or anything... you didn't know." Van smiled. "I feel even closer to you now, and it's good to know that I'm not the last draconian left." Van told her reassuringly. 

"Oh Van...I'm so glad you understand... that's what I love about you. You are right though, about feeling closer. I feel the same, I can understand everything you feel... it's like you're the second half of my soul. I love you Van." Hitomi sighed, totally exhausted. 

"And I love you, Hitomi." Van whispered as he carried her inside. The two legendary Ispanos moved themselves to the hangar. Van laid Hitomi down, then lay down beside her, holding her in his arms.... his angel.

~~*****~~

_Back at Takita's Lair...._

"AHHH! She almost killed me! Why didn't you overtake her?!" Takita was NOT in a good mood, after being almost killed by the queen of Fanelia herself. Her plan had totally backfired. 

"I'm sorry your evilness, but the other one was too powerful. We had 10 men attacking him at once, he got rid of them in seconds.. he was too experienced." A soldier meekly replied.

"The 'other' one? WHAT OTHER ONE?!" Takita was getting very impatient and frustrated.

"The King of Fanelia, Van Fanel. I was told his wife, the Queen of Fanelia, Hitomi 'Fanel' was also involved..."

"Of course you were told... I JUST SAID IT TWO FREAKING MINUTES AGO!" The soldier flinched slightly at Takita's sudden outburst.

"Grrr...you better leave now, before I kill you." She grumbled. The soldier ran out willingly.

"Hmm.. it looks like holding her hostage won't be a good idea. She's too strong an has many powerful allies. But now I have a double prize... Escaflowne and Escalamis. How am I going to get my hands on them?!" Takita once again argued with herself, yelling at no one in particular.

"I have to get the king and Queen to hand over their Ispano's..." The a plan started to form in her evil mind.

"Ah ha.... enjoy your life while it lasts, Fanelians." Takita whispered evily.

~A/N: hey hey! ok, I know, so many people have made Hitomi have wings, but I thought it would be better this way. Hey, if they both have Ispano guymelephs, why not both be draconians? Well... aren't we just dying to find out what Evil Bitch Takita is planning... Till next time! Hope you enjoyed my story so far! 

~Feathers of the Wind


	9. The reason

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

~Feathers of the Wind*~

Note: this chapter may be a bit short...

Hitomi and Van-Fateful destiny

Chapter 9: The reason

Van awoke hazily in the sunlight. He turned his head to see his Queen still resting in his arms. She looked beautiful, and was so innocent looking while sleeping. 

_Well what did you expect?_ He thought, _After all, she is Hitomi. And, she has a pair of hidden angel wings, just like you._

"Rest my darling, you're going to need all your strength if we're going to face Takita again." Van whispered. Hitomi slept for another 10 minutes, then began to stir. Hitomi groaned as she opened her eyes to the bright sun. Covering her eyes for a moment, she then realized the one beside her was also awake. 

"Good morning Van." Hitomi smiled. Van returned the smile, thanking the heavens that they'd sent his love back to him safely. 

"Good morning, dearest. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?" Hitomi snuggled up closer to Van and whispered,

"I'm ok, I guess... my back's a little sore. But yes, I did sleep well. I always do when you're around." She smiled.

"Your back is sore because of the wings. When I first let out my wings, my back hurt a little too." Van remembered, suddenly shocked at Hitomi's look of surprise.

"You mean it was real? I wasn't dreaming? I'm a draconian?" Hitomi gasped. Van feared that she now would hate him.

"yes.. you are." Van looked at her straight in the eye, and was surprised at the emotions the eyes told. They were a look of happiness.

_Why would she be HAPPY to be a draconian??_ Van wondered. He soon found out.

" I'm so happy Van! Now, I can fly with you, wherever you go, and I don't have to be a burden to you. And Van... I told you, I think your wings are beautiful... you don't need to be ashamed or sad. I love you for who you are... ALL of you!" She giggled. Van smiled, relieved. 

Half an hour later, they arrived at the dining hall. Merle jumped up, and ran to the royal couple.

"Hitomi! Are you alright?! Van-Sama, are you hurt?!" The cat girl bombarded them with endless worry-full questions, making them laugh a little. 

"Oh Merle! We're alright! Honestly!" Van answered his best friend.

"Oh... ok then. Come on and eat!" Merle practically dragged them to the head of the table.

~~****~~

After breakfast, there was a council meeting, so of course the King and Queen had to be present.

"So King Van and Queen Hitomi, even after that last attack, Fanelia is still in pretty good shape. We just need to fix a few things, an that will be all." A member of the council concluded after 2 hours. 

"Good... but I need to know something about.. what was her name? Takita... who the hell does she think she is, just coming to attack us like that!" Van growled. Hitomi put her hand on his and smiled at him to keep him from blowing up. 

"Well, your majesty, they say she was an orphan, an angry child. She had foster parents, but she killed them, along with a few towns people from Esztermays, a city in the outskirts of Austuria. Once this broke out, some insisted that she loved to kill and should be killed, she was incredibly strong and gifted with the sword, but no one took her seriously at such a young age, that no one would believe she killed ANYONE. She eventually formed an army, who she says are the Zaibach's gifted elite." The advisor said.

"But why would she come after us? We didn't do anything to her." Hitomi asked. She was troubled that this 'Takita' woman would try to kill her and Van. It seemed so... Dilandau-ish.

" I suspect the reason she came after you and the King, was for a few good reasons. One, Fanelia is home to the legendary heroes of Gaea, the King and yourself. Two, the reason why everyone wants to conquer Fanelia; Escaflowne, and now Escalamis. Three, She knows that if she can take down Fanelia, she won't have troubles taking any other country, and she'll rule Gaea if that happens." The councilor answered. 

" I see... Isn't there a way we can help or save her?" Hitomi slowly asked, already fearing the answer. The councilor sighed.

"I'm afraid not. The only way to stop her... is to kill her." 

~~*****~~

~*AN: OOH! I got a good cliff hanger going on here!! =) Well, I made up Esztermays... I dunno. Just came out, and it sorta sounded ok, so I used it. Well...only 3-4 days until fanfiction.net is back up and running... I want it to hurry up!!!


	10. A Horrid Vision

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

Hitomi and Van- Fateful Destiny

Chapter 10: a horrid Vision

Hitomi went to sleep that night with a heavy heart. _" the only way to stop her, is to kill her."_ the Advisors words clearly rang through her ears. 

"I can't kill her...even if I must. There must be some way to save Takita." Hitomi whispered to Van, she thought Van was already sleeping, not listening to her battling with herself. However, quite on the contrary, he heard every word. 

_Poor Hitomi..._Van thought. _she has so much on her mind... it's not healthy for her, she'll make herself sick._ Van affectionately kissed her on her forehead. 

"huh? Van! You're awake?" Hitomi looked up in surprise. 

"mm hmm. I couldn't help but over-hear your little conversation. Stop thinking about that, you're going to make yourself sick." Van chided gently. 

"Oh Van... I'll be ok, I just like to think things out aloud." Hitomi snuggled up closer to Van's muscular chiseled chest. Once again her heart was all a flutter when she felt Van's strong arms wrap protectively around her slim figure. She exhaled heavily, letting go of some of the problems of the past. 

" Go to sleep my queen. I love you." Van whispered as he kissed her cheek.

"And I love you." Answered kissing him on the lips, letting her eyes close into a hopefully peaceful sleep. However, Hitomi's sleep was far from peaceful. 

_Hitomi's dream:_

_"Why didn't you save me?! You know you could've!!!" A voice called to Hitomi, echoing all around her. _

_"W-who's there?" Hitomi spun around looking for the person who was speaking, but all she found was the black void she was in. _

_"W-what are you saying?" Hitomi was feeling very un-easy. Someone was blaming her for something she didn't do. _

_"At first you had hope. You wanted to save me. But..but now. You let them kill me!" A ghostly shrill scream echoed. _

_"But-but.. I-I... I didn't do anything!" Hitomi was near hysterics and just wanted to wake up. _

_"Van?! Where are you?!" Hitomi wanted to cry. Just then, the ghost of......Takita appeared!_

_"You let them kill me!" Takita pointed accusingly at Hitomi, speaking in monotone. The ghost kept closing in, making Hitomi want to ruin, but she felt as if her legs were rooted to the ground. Suddenly, she felt as if someone sucked the air out of her lungs, she couldn't breathe or even scream. She fell to the void's floor in a heap, dead. _

_End of dream (nightmare, really.)_

Hitomi screamed, awakening Van at once. He immediately began to shake her gently to wake her up. When Hitomi opened her eyes to see Van staring at her with those loving brownish red eyes, she hugged him tight and began to cry. 

"Oh Hitomi... what's wrong?" Van gently and lovingly asked, stroking her hair and gently rubbing her back with concern. 

_What did you see?_ Van wondered in his mind. When Hitomi clamed down enough to speak, she told Van of what she had seen, and felt. 

"Oh Hitomi... No wonder you screamed. You must have been terrified!" Van breathed into her hair as he held her tight. She may be a warrior, a queen, a draconian... but even with those strengths, she was just a young woman, with fears.

"It felt so real...That means there must be a way to save Takita!" Hitomi concluded.

"You're thinking about that, at a time like this?!" Van joked. 

"Van, that was the point of the dream! If I do nothing, she will haunt me for the rest of my life! She'll kill me!" Hitomi reasoned. Just then, Allen and a few guards rushed into the room, swords drawn.

"What happened? We thought we heard Hitomi scream." Allen asked. Hitomi blushed and said she just had a silly little nightmare, nothing to be worried about. 

"Are you sure?" Allen, truly concerned asked. 

"yes, I'm sure." Hitomi could feel Van get slightly annoyed with Allen, if him tightening his hold on her was any indication. After all, Hitomi _was_ in only her night clothing, and Allen did still care about her, whether or not she was a married woman. Van knew that Allen would never do anything with Hitomi, but still. 

"It's alright... don't worry about it." Van called. Allen and the guards bowed before leaving the room. Hitomi thought this might be time to suggest something.

"well... umm.. Van? I don't know if this is totally out of the question but... ah.. well...I-I know we haven't really been able to spend that much time with each other in the past few days, umm.. especially on our _wedding night_... and umm..." Hitomi was fumbling for words. 

" Yes, I know, I'm sorry about that. Did you want to do something?" Van asked gently, hiding the amusement in his voice. He knew where this was leading, but he wanted to make sure that Hitomi wanted this.

"Well... I think that... uh..." Hitomi just couldn't say it. 

_Hitomi, just say it!!! _Her mind screamed. 

"Van." Hitomi's green eyes met Van's auburn eyes that were patiently awaiting Hitomi's thought. 

" I think that maybe it's time to...no.. I think that we're _ready_ to have a...." Hitomi just let it hang there. It would sound too awkward. So she just stared at the sheets, blushing. Van knew what she wanted to tell him. She wanted to have a baby. 

_But why be so shy about it?_ Wondered Van. Van leaned down to gently, yet passionately kiss his wife's lips. Hitomi heard a reponse from van's mind.

_* Hitomi, if you're ready, I'm ready. I love you.* _And if it's possible, Van kissed Hitomi's lips more passionately. Pretty soon, the kissing turned to something else. ( Don't pretend you don't know!!! ^_~)

Later, Hitomi lay asleep on Van's strong torso wrapped up in his arms. They both felt truly complete, even though they both did feel complete before, this was a different feeling. A feeling that they knew they were each other's for eternity.

~~~********~~~

The next morning at breakfast everyone wondered why the King and Queen would blush every so often when they looked at each other. The two didn't look away from each other, but were immediately side by side, Van's arms either around her waist or holding her hand. The advisors caught on pretty quickly, as they assumed that Van and Hitomi had sealed their love for each other the night before. They smiled slightly, knowing it wouldn't be too long until there was a young princess or princes of Fanelia running around. 

~* A/N: Ack....How bad was it???? ;-.-;It'll get more interesting, I promise in the next chapter. WARNING: NEXT CHAPTER IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE THE LONGEST OF ALL MY CHAPTERS... SO BEWARE! ok.. ~Feathers of the wind~*


	11. Escape from death

New Page 1

~* A/N Konnichiwa Minna!! I'm back.... wow! Got lots o good reviews, so I'm gonna write hopefully a chapter a day. Enjoy! Please R&R Thanx! BTW, I DO NOT OWN ESCAFLOWNE!!!!! Boy I wish I could...

Hitomi and Van-Fateful Destiny

Chapter 11: Escape from death

A few weeks later, Van had to leave to go to a far away country for business. Hitomi had wanted to go with him, but Van gently reminded her that the people of Fanelia needed her there. Shortly after his departure, Hitomi decided to take a walk in the gardens. However, not even the beauty of the flowers could ease away the guilt she felt. 

"You didn't tell him..." Hitomi thought. She was so busy scolding herself, that she didn't watch where she was going and walked straight into Merle.

"MMEEOOW!!! Ouch, Hitomi! What are you doing?" Merle complained.

"Oops, sorry Merle..." Hitomi apologized. Getting Merle angry was not a good thing to do. Merle noticed Hitomi looking a little distracted.

"It's ok... what's wrong? Miss his already?" Merle joked. 

"Merle it's not that... well, yes I miss him, but I meant to tell him something..." Hitomi just stopped before she said too much.

" And I'm guessing you didn't tell him? What is it?" Merle leaned in closer. 

" Merle, I really should let Van be the first to know." Hitomi wished she had told him.

"What?! Am I not good enough to tell first?" Merle pretended to be hurt.

"No, Merle! It's not that..." Hitomi tried hard not to laugh.

"oh come on! please?!" Merle was practically begging Hitomi. Hitomi just started laughing but stood her ground.

"Oh fine then... you're no fun." Merle whined, then ran off, supposedly attending to something. Hitomi sat on a stone bench near a fountain. Sighing, she placed a hand at her stomach, which at the moment was flat, but would be rounded in a few months time. 

"Oh Van..." Trying to look on the bright side of things, Van wouldn't be away for too long... just a few days. Hitomi resolved to tell Van she was pregnant when he returned. 

**In Takita's Lair**

"Mistress Takita, we have some good news for you." Kalad announced. 

"Hmm..? Alright then, what is it?" Takita snapped.

"Well, apparently, King Van of Fanelia is away. He'll be gone for a few days, but that would be more than enough time to easily conquer Fanelia as only the Queen is there." Takita just sat there for a moment, then said,

"Good work Kalad. For once, you've done something useful. Tell the armies to head for Fanelia and ATTACK!"

_yes, now will be the perfect time for revenge... _Takita thought evilly. _Yes, nothing would hurt the king more, than seeing his wife murdered._

**Back in Fanelia...**

Hitomi was listening to a very boring council meeting, though she tried to hide the boredom in her face, the council noticed she was acting a lot like Van. She sat up straight and tried to listen, but in the end she was leaning her chin on her hand, stifling a yawn every now and then. Just then, Allen burst into the room. 

"Takita's armies are headed straight for us! They probably knew Van was going to be away!" Allen panted. Hitomi decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Well then, meeting is adjourned. Allen, get the armies ready." Hitomi said calmly. Allen just nodded then ran off.

"I'm going to get Escalamis ready." Hitomi ran the fastest she could to her room, changed into the battle outfit (Tan pants, green shirt, u know that thing.) and then ran to the hangar where Escalamis was waiting. Taking a moment, she looked at Escaflowne. 

"Hmm... what if they try to destroy it or steal it?" Hitomi had an idea. Taking the pendant (Which by the way, Van returned to her) she held it by the chain in front of Escaflowne. Using the power of Atlantis, she created a shield around Escaflowne which would be impenetrable as long as she was alive. 

"Oh that's some relief..." Hitomi sarcastically remarked. 

"Hitomi!" Hitomi looked around and saw Merle shouting at her. 

"You'd better be careful! Lord Van would Kill me if anything happened to you!" Hitomi smiled, knowing that was Merle's way of saying, 'Please be careful, you're my best friend.'

"Don't worry Merle! I'll be alright! You have to get inside!! Quick!" Hitomi then turned around to face the battle. 

"Please be careful Hitomi... Good luck." Merle thought. 

**Hours later...**

Half the battle was over, and Hitomi was doing pretty well. At times, she was just a hair away from death, but managed to get rid of a threatening soldier. 

"Ah... there she is!" Takita smiled evilly as she spotted Hitomi. 

" What do we have here? Well now, your 'Highness' where's your King?" Takita snidely retorted. 

"GGGRrr.... " Hitomi growled inwardly, and in her anger she raised her sword high and was about to impale it onto Takita. Takita on the other hand, was so busy laughing she almost didn't see Hitomi ready to kill her. 

* Van...* Hitomi had no choice... she had to contact Van about this. 

*Hitomi? How are you?* Van's voice sounded in her ears.

*Van, there's an attack on Fanelia! Come home quickly!* Hitomi swiftly knocked Takita's sword out of her hands. 

"What the @%!#?!" Takita cursed.

"Leave. Leave now, and I will spare your life." Hitomi stated.

"GRrr... fine then." Takita got up and commanded the armies to retreat. Little did Hitomi know that Takita would come back for her.

Van was halfway home after the urgent call from Hitomi. 

"Hitomi, please be alright..." Van whispered. 

*************************

Hitomi was getting ready for bed, and just wanted to sleep for two days straight. As she settled in, sudden movement caught her eye. A silhouette of woman with a dagger appeared. 

"Guards!!!!" Hitomi screamed. Then, before she could react, the dagger was plunged into her chest. Hitomi screamed the most agonizing scream ever.

* AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!* Van could hear the scream from outside the Fanelian borders.

*Hitomi!!* Van cried out.

* Oh Van... I'm so sorry. I-I never told you...* Van could hear her voice sounding farther away.

* You never told me what?* Van was getting quite scared now.

* Van...we have a child. I'm- I'm pregnant.* Van was totally shocked.

"Hurry! Get me to Fanelia as soon as you can!!!!" Van yelled to the coach driver.

Merle ran into Hitomi's room as soon as the scream had sounded. 

"Hitomi!! Oh my God!!! Lord Van is going to have my head for this!" Merle shrieked, seeing the dagger in the figure's hand, blood dripping off of it. Merle then recognized the figure.

"Takita!!! GUARDS!!!!!!!!!!!" Merle yelled as loud as she could. Soon the sound of at least 10 guards running brought Takita to attention. Takita realized that she would have to leave or face the wrath of the guards, so she leapt out of the window, only to land in front of Van, who had just come home. The guards outside took Takita down to the dungeons while Van flew up to his bedroom window, where he knew Hitomi would be. He didn't run up the stairs, that would take too much time. He saw Hitomi lying in bed, with Merle trying to keep her awake.

"Hitomi!! Oh my God!!!" Van ran to her side. 

"Hitomi you can't leave me! What of our child?" Van cried. "I can't lose my family again!" When everyone heard Van say 'what of our child' they gasped. The queen was pregnant!

"Van...I...Love you...." Hitomi whispered. "I'm so tired Van...I just..." Her body went limp, as her eyes gently closed.

"Hitomi, NO!!!!!!!!!!!" Van wrapped his arms around her, and didn't bother trying to hide the tears running down his face. 

_In Hitomi's mind, she was falling. Her wings wouldn't work._

_"VAN!!!!!" Hitomi cried out, outstretching her hand. Sure enough, a burst of white light appeared, and a man with wings appeared. A firm hand grasped hers. Then she heard him say:_

_"Hitomi, you can't leave me! What of our child! I can't lose my family again! I love you!" Then Hitomi felt his lips on hers, breathing life back into her. _

**Back in the real world...**

"Hitomi! please come back!!!!!" Van's tears were streaming down his face, and landed on the pendant. Suddenly, the pendant began to glow. The Escaflowne and Escalamis energists began to glow as well. Two balls of light came from the hangar and floated to Hitomi and Van's room. Another ball of light came from the pendant itself. The 3 balls of light concentrated together, making it so bright that no one could see as it went into Hitomi's wound. Hitomi felt her soul returning to her body. The wound on her chest healed and color returned to her pale face. Van still had his arms around her, his head beside hers. A low groan could be heard as Hitomi came around. 

"Hitomi!" 

"V-Van...? Oh Van!!" Hitomi hugged Van fiercely. "I was so afraid I'd never see you again!" Everyone in the room began to get teary eyed as Van and Hitomi gazed into each others eyes, so they began to clear out. Soon, it was just Hitomi and Van in the room, but they didn't notice. 

"Hitomi, what happened?" Van was suddenly stern.

"Takita probably knew that you were going to be away, so she launched an attack on us! I managed to have her leave, but she just came back to kill me." Hitomi also mentioned how she had made a shield to protect Escaflowne. Van was so touched. 

"Oh Hitomi..." he sighed.

"Van I was so afraid that I'd never see you again.. or our baby." Hitomi sobbed a little.

"Is it true then? We really have a baby?" Van asked hopefully.

"Yes Van... I didn't tell you before you left because I didn't want you to worry. I was planning on telling you when you returned." Hitomi felt so guilty she began apologizing, but Van didn't care. He was glad Hitomi was still alive.

"HITOMI!!!!" It was Merle. "I was so worried about you!" Merle then threw herself at Hitomi, sobbing. 

" Oh Merle.. Don't worry. Everything is going to alright now. You know, it is pretty late... why don't we all get some rest?" Merle nodded, still sniffing as she skipped out of the room. Van crawled into bed beside his wife, and held her tight. He silently was praying to gods for saving Hitomi.

**~* A/N: ahh... my poor fingers...lol. well... how was it?! please R&R!!!!**


	12. The loss of a soul, the birth of another

New Page 1

**~* A/N: hey hey!! I'm back! Sorry about the delay... I was working on my other story for a bit. Well, here's chapter 12, please R&R!!! ~Feathers of the wind~***

Hitomi and Van-Fateful Destiny

**Chapter 12: The loss of a soul, the birth of another**

_Down in the dungeons of Fanelia..._

"@$#%!!! let me out of here!" A very angry Takita roared. The guards looked at her as it she was crazy.

"Yeah right..." One of the guards snorted. Takita just glowered at him, pacing around her cell over and over until she saw a pail of water. She sat down in front of it, staring at her reflection. An angry soul stared back.

_What is going to happen to me?_ Takita wasn't normally one to get scared, but bizarre things kept happening, she didn't know what to expect. A noise drew her attention, and saw the Queen of Fanelia coming towards her.

"Damnit!!! She's still alive!" Takita's mind cursed. Staying where she was, Takita eyed Hitomi through the bars of her prison. 

"Why are you here? To tell me how much longer I have to live?" Takita snapped angrily. Hitomi looked surprised. 

"No...I just wanted to talk with you...that's all. Takita, there's one thing I'd like to know. What did Van and I do to make you hate us?" Takita stared at her as if she was an idiot.

"WHY?! I'll tell you why! Your 'Precious' Van's brother killed my father! Your 'precious' Van stopped my father from achieving his goal! To stop war!" Takita snarled at her. 

"And you were there! You watched my father being murdered... from what I've heard." Hitomi thought for a moment. Folken killed her father? I was there? Hitomi finally realized. DORNKIRK?! He had a daughter?!

"Is that the only reason?" Hitomi asked. 

"Well...yes. But I wanted to finish a part of the plan my father never got around to. I was supposed to kill you and Van. I was supposed to capture the Escaflowne, and I failed miserably. Are you happy now?" Takita looked so ashamed and sad, Hitomi couldn't react right away.

"Why don't you put the past behind you? Everyday is another chance. Why don't you give it a try? We have the former Dilandau here, she seems to be enjoying he life now." Takita rolled her eyes at her.

"For one thing, Dilandau is a guy! second of all, what is there to be happy about? It's not easy to just give up who I've been all my life! This is the only thing I've ever known!" Takita didn't want to join their happy cult. 'I refuse to be weak and give in!' Takita thought.

"Well... Dilandau was a guy, yes.. but that was because of all the experiments sorcerers did on her. Dilandau is really Celena, Allen's younger sister. There really is a lot to be happy about, but you can only enjoy it if you let yourself. " Hitomi explained. Quicker than the eye could see, Takita grabbed Hitomi's sword. 

"Well, I don't want to be joining your little happy world. I will not be weakened by love and all that mush! it ends here!" With that, Takita plunges Hitomi's sword into her chest.

"Oh my god, no!" Hitomi grabs a guard. "Give me the keys! NOW!" Hitomi forcefully added when the guard hesitated. Opening the cell, Hitomi runs in. Takita smiles evilly at her.

"Ha. I win. I will not disappoint my father...who wanted me to be soldier of stone." And with that, Takita died. Hitomi took her sword out of Takita's chest, and went to go wash it. After she was done, she walked back upstairs to her and Van's room, where Van was waiting. 

"How did it go?" Van asked, gently hugging her. Hitomi gulped.

"She-she....she killed herself. She was that reluctant to be 'weak' as she called it, and decided she'd rather die. Oh Van, there was nothing I could do to stop her!" Hitomi sniffled a little, staring at her rounded stomach. Van's arms wrapped around her waist, and he answered.

"I know Hitomi. Knowing you, you would've done everything you could, but if that's the way she wants it, what can we do?" Putting her hands on top of Van's Hitomi changed the subject.

"Van! I'm 3 months pregnant, it looks like I'm 7 months!" Hitomi laughed. Just then Van remembered something.

"Uh... Hitomi? Since you're a draconian, I forgot to tell you... pregnancy lasts only 5 months." Van told her. Hitomi stared at him, the information still going through her mind.

"WHAT?! 5 months?! That's it?!" Hitomi nearly collapsed. "Van, please tell me you're joking!" Hitomi turned to look him in the eye.

"Nope... draconians carry for only 5 months." Hitomi stood there, silent.

_She's taking it well... I guess._ Van thought. Suddenly, Hitomi slyly looked at him.

"Oh, and how would you know?" 

"uh... well, my mother came to me in a dream that night you almost died, and told me. I was supposed to tell you... but I had other things on my mind." Van admitted.

"Oh.. ok then. Thanks for the important information, but I'm so tired! Off to sleep!" Hitomi laughed, and they both slipped under the covers to sleep peacefully.

~* 2 months later*~

Hitomi was walking outside in the gardens after an especially boring council meeting. 

"I'm 5 months." Hitomi whispered happily to Van, who was of course always with her. 

"I know Hitomi. I can still hardly believe it.. I'm going to be a father!" Van smiled at her. Hitomi was about to reply when she fell to her knees, groaning in pain. 

"V-Van! b-baby... n- now!" Hitomi managed to gasp out. Van carried her quickly to the healers ward, and laid Hitomi down. Maids were running in and out, getting water, and whatnot, whatever the Healer ordered them to do. 

"My Queen, you must push! Come on, I know you're tired but you must!" A young female healer encouraged a few hours later of Hitomi going in labor. Hitomi winced in pain as she felt the baby's head push through. Van was holding her hand, whispering words of encouragement. 

"One more push, I promise!" The healer urged. Hitomi took a deep breath and pushed with all her might. A slap was heard, then a baby's wail. The healer cut the umbilical cord, and washed the baby free of the blood. 

"Oh Hitomi, you did it! I knew you could!" Van gently kissed her forehead, then taking a clean, cold cloth to wipe her face, soothing her somewhat. Still gasping for breath, Hitomi answered,

"I never would have gotten through it all without you, Van." Hitomi sleepily murmured. The Healer came to the royal couple, with a baby wrapped up in a blue blanket. 

"My King, my Queen... I present to you, your son." She smiled, handing the bundle of joy carefully into Hitomi's arms. Tears came to her eyes, when she saw before her, a beautiful baby created by both her and Van. Their love for each other had created new life. The baby had lightly tanned skin, black hair, and mischievous auburn eyes. However in different angles of light, they were also green. The little baby giggled a little, holding Van and Hitomi's thumbs in it's tiny hands. 

" He's a little angel." Hitomi sighed happily. "But of course, he looks just like you." Hitomi added, smiling at Van.

" He's beautiful, just like his mother." Van smiled, then kissed Hitomi's cheek gently. Hitomi blushed slightly.

"What should we name him?" Hitomi asked. They sat there for at least an hour, thinking of possible names.

"No that ones too plain... that one's too complicated..." Until Van came across the perfect name by accident.

"The two heroes of Gaea can't even think of a baby's name..." He sighed, then thought back to what he said. 

"I have the perfect name! Hs name will be Heero. Heero Cour la Vere de Fanel." Van stated proudly. (No, this has nothing to do with Gundam Wing Heero...)

"It's a beautiful name, Van." Hitomi whispered drowsily. Her and the baby began to fall asleep. 

"Rest my darling, you need to." Van got up to get a chair. Setting it beside the bed, Van kept his head beside Hitomi's, watching both his wife and son sleep. _This is it... I finally have a family of my own. After all the hardships we went through Hitomi... we are a family._ Van happily thought. He meant to stay awake to watch them, but he ended up sleeping as well. 

Two days later, after Heero's birth, Hitomi, Van and little Heero were out on the balcony facing the people of Fanelia, who were anxiously waiting.

"People of Fanelia, the Queen and I present to you, the prince and future King of Fanelia!" Van shouted, holding the baby up high. All the townspeople cheered. 

We present to you, Heero Cour la Vere de Fanel!" Hitomi and Van shouted together. 

An advisor watching, smiled slightly, recalling all the trouble the two went through together. First there was the great war two years ago, when they were only 15 year old children. But their love had saved a whole planet from destruction. And even though Hitomi went back to the mystic moon, their love continued to grow. The advisor recalled the times that Van would reject all princesses on Gaea who tried to marry him, and he could now see why. Hitomi may look like a little lady, but she had the spirit and heart of a warrior. 

Despite the fact that both the King and Queen were young 17 year olds, they handled everything thrown at them like an adult twice their age. He knew why. 

Van had lost his family much too early, forced to rule a country at the age of 5, forced to abandon his country as it burned, and into battle. But he met a girl who would change his life forever. 

Hitomi, a girl from the Mystic Moon, whisked into their world. Forced to see the war and pain. But met the man who captured her heart. 

Both the King and Queen of Fanelia had matured a lot in the last two years, but nothing compared to what happened just now. Van was finally happy. He had married the woman he loved, who had been away from him for 3 months. And what a wreck he had been in those 3 months. But as soon as Hitomi came back, everything was as it should be. A King, a Queen, an heir, and true happiness. This is the fate of Destiny they chose. 

**THE END**

**~* A/N: Ok... what did you think? that is the end of Hitomi and Van-Fateful Destiny! eh... the ending part was just kind of a reflection on what they'd been through together... wasn't too bad was it??? ^_^; Please R&R and thanks for all the great comments on previous reviews!!! Till next time, ~Feathers of the wind~***


End file.
